Towel-rack.



M. MAGPHBRSON.

TOWEL RACK.

, APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1912.

1,072,1 35. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

w /0 9 Mme-aces: A m g 5 MALCOLM MACPHERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOWEL RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed December 21,1912. Serial No. 737,930.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MALCOLM Maori-Inn- SON, asubject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the borough ofBrooklyn, city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Towel- Rack, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to a device for holding and retaining a number oftowels; and the object thereof is to provide a device for holding anumber of towels in such a way that they may be individually separatedfrom a stack or supply of unused towels, be individually used whileseparated from the supply ofclean towels as well as the soiled ones, andthen be placed with the soiled or used towels; the towels at all timesbeing retained or held so that they can not be accidentally orintentionally removed fromthe device. The purpose thereof is to preventthe loss of towels in public or private places, especially in departmentstores, railroad trains and such like, where large numbers of towels arecontinually at the disposal of usersgenerally, and where the towels cannot be always cared and accounted for by attendants,

With the employment of my present device a number of individual towelsmay be supplied to the device and be locked in connection therewithuntil such time as they are to be removed and replenished by one havingthe authority to do so. Users may individually disengage or remove atowel from the supply, such as a stack, use the towel, and then placethe used towel out of the way of subsequent users, and during as well asbefore and after use, the towels are retained by the device in a mannerwhich will prevent their being carried away or lost. While a towel isbeing used it is moved from the supply or stack so that the towels inthe latter. are not soiled, and it is also at such time separated fromthe previously soiled towels so that the user need not come into contacttherewith.

The device is very simple, inexpensive and eiiicient for carrying outthe'above objects. The device is very handy and the manner of its use isobvious from its construction. 7 In the drawing forming a part of thisapplication, Figure 1 is a plan view, showing my invention attached to awall or other convenient support, in which view the towels are shown asdouble towels, that is, they are secured at their middle portion andeach half is adapted for individual use, Fig. 2 is a sectional View,taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof,with the towels and weight removed to show the construction of thedevice, Fig. 4 is a sectional view, showing the members which engage thetowels and prevent their removal from the device, and Fig. 5 is an endview of a modified form of device, wherein a plurality of posts areemployed.

The means for holding the supply of unused towels may be variouslyformed, but I prefer to employ a rack, here shown as consisting of arectangularly shaped bar or rod 1, and cross bars or supports 2, 3, 4:,5. In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, there is a crossmember 6 between the portions 7, 8 of the rectangular bar or frame,which supports an upwardly extending holding member or post 9 whichreceives and holds the towels. The cross member 6 has a socket member 10in which the post is secured and by which it is supported.

The above parts may be suitably supported in any desirable location, andfor convenience I have shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, a supportin bracket,consisting of an upright end 11, which fits into the lower end of thesocket member 10, a laterally extending por tion 12 which extends outbeyond the rack; and a downward portion 13 which may be suitably securedto the wall or other support 14 by means of a clamp 15.

There is arranged to slide over the post 9 a sleeve 16, to which issecured a cross arm 17 here shown as extending horizontally in oppositedirections from the sleeve, and provided with upturned ends 18. Thetowels 19 are each provided with an opening 20 preferably near thecenter thereof, which 0 ening may be suitably finished, as by stitciingthe edge thereof. The towels are placed over the sleeve 16 while thesame is separated from the rack, by passing the sleeve through theapertures 20 of any number of towels, say several dozen, or whatever thesupply is to be; and the towels are al lowed to slide onthe sleeve untilthey rest on the cross arm 17. The sleeve 16, together with the towels,is then slipped down over the post 9 and is secured thereto by suitablemeans, such as a padlock 21 the hail of which passes through aliningapertures 22 from the portions 7, 8, They are arranged to project towardeachin the post and sleeve. When so secured,

and off the same, because their apertures are 1tooksmall to allow themto be moved over the When the towels are arranged upon the post, asabove described, they will be so placed that they extend forwardly andrearwardly from the arm 17 and restupon suitable supports which holdthem in suitable condition. -To one side of the place where the towelsare secured, there are supports 2, 3, arranged to project inwardly ofthe rack frame.

other, as shown in Fig. 1, but they do not meet, a space 23 being leftbetween them, for a purpose which will be apparent hereinafter. Themembers or support 2, 3, are here shown as U shaped rods disposed hori-'Zontally, and they serve the purpose of sup porting one half or one endof the stack of towels.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, a second pair ofsupports 4, 5 is provided for the other end or half of the stack oftowels; and they are located in similar relative positions to thesupports 2, 3, but toward the opposite end of the rack.

In addition to the above, separators are provided for keeping the towelwhich is in use separated from those which may have been previously usedand which have become soiled. The device for this purpose is here shownas consisting of downwardly eX- tending members 24, 25, which arepreferably arranged below the -towel stack and on a line between thesupports 2, 3, and the post 9. These separators are here shown asconsisting of plates supported by rectangular hoops 26 to which they arefastened. The bars 26 formingthe hoops extend upwardly and connect withtherack frame. The plates 24', 25 are preferably arranged in the sameplane, but are separated to form an intermediate space 27. Similarseparators 28, 29 are arranged on the side of the towel bar 17, oppositeto the separators 24, 25.

When the stack of towels is placed in position over the post, preferablya weight 30 is placed on the stack to keep the towels in flat conditionand to insure their following dowln into position as successive towelsare use When the towels have been placed in position as shown 1n Fig. 2,they will rest on the cross arm 17 and upon the supports 2, 3, 4, 5. Theends of the lowermost towels preferably droop, as at 31, beyond the supports 2, 3, 4, 5,. respectively, so that the ends of the lowermost towelwill be accessible to the user. When it is desired to use a towel, orrather one half thereof, the end of the lowermost towel is grasped,preferably near the middle thereof and ispulled downwardly. As the endof the lowermost towel is thus pulled it will pass between the supports2, 3, that is, through the space 23 between the supports, until it hangsin the position shown in Fig. 2, and indicated by the referencecharacter 32. In thisposition the towel will droop over the frames orhoops 26 and will be accessible for use, and the towel may be made useof while thus separated from both the stack of unused towels and anywhich have been previously used. When the towel has been used, the endthereof is pulled until it passes between the separators 24, 25 orthrough the space 27, when it will be allowed to hang from the arm 17 asshown at 33, (Fig. 2),

on the opposite side of the separator to that where it was when used. Insimilar manner the end of the towel now lowermost in the stack may bebrought down, used, and then moved behind the separator, similar to thefirst one; and so on, until all the towels in the rack have been used.The opposite halves of the towels, shown on the.

right of Fig. 2, may be similarly brought down between the support 4, 5,used, and then placed behind the separators 28, 29. Thus the towels maybe usedfrom each end independently, so that two persons maysimultaneously make use of the device. When all the towels have beenbrought down, and i used, the stack may be removed, upon re-' moving thelook, by lifting off the sleeve 1 16 arm 17 and the towels therewith,and a fresh stack put in the place of the first one.

If desired the device may-be formed as a single rack, that is, so thatthe towels will be used only from one end. In that case one half therack frame will be omitted leaving only the members 7, 8, cross piece 8and thecross piece 6, which latter will now come'at the end of the rackas shown in Fig. 5. In this form of my invention it is preferable tohave two posts 9, arranged in sleeves '16 and the cross arm 17 isprovided with sockets 10, one for each post 9. The towels for this formof rack will then require two holes, which will be arranged near the endthereof. The device will then be substantially one half of that shown inFigs. 1 and12,an d will i I be used in a similar manner.

From the aboveit will be apparent that I have provided a very simple,convenient and inexpensive rack wherein towels may be individuallyseparated from the supply or stack, used while separated therefrom andfrom any previously used towels, and be moved away so as not tointerfere with the subsequent use of others; and wherein the towels willnot be accidentally or intentionally removed or stolen.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 2- 1. A device of thecharacter described, comprising a supporting rack for holding a stack oftowels in substantially horizontal position, a depending separator forretaining the towels in separated relation after their removal from thestack, thetowels being movable through the said support and saidseparator, and means engaging the stack of towels and arranged to retainthe towels while in the stack and after their separation therefrom.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a horizontallydisposed supporting rack having inwardly extendingsup porting membersfor supporting a stack of towels, separated from each other near themiddle of the rack to permit the towels to be individually drawntherethrough to separate them from the stack, depending separatingmembers, extending inwardly toward each other but separated to permitthe towels to be drawn therethrough after their separation from thestack, and means engaging through the towels and arranged to retain themwhile in the stack and after separation.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a rack for supportinga stack of through to separate them from the stack,

depending, spaced separating members, arranged below the rack andforward of the said post, and between which the towels are adapted to bedrawn, for the purpose set forth.

'4. A device of the character described, including a horizontal rackcomprising a rectangular frame, a post extending upwardly therefrom, forreceiving the towels thereover, supporting members arranged on oppositesides of said post, andv extending inwardly from opposite sides of saidframe and spaced apart in line with the post, a sleeve slidable on saidpost and having a lateral arm to receive the towels, means for securinga stack of towels on said post, and depending separating membersarranged on opposite sides of the post, and comprising members extendinginwardly toward, but spaced from each other in line with said post.

Sworn in the city, county and State of New York, this th day ofDecember, 1912.

MALCOLM MACPHERSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES Gr. HENsLnY, A. B. DOLLARD.

